18-22 TEE

Has there ever been a more confusing launch than that of the Harris Mann-penned 18-22 series? Even by British Leyland standards of complicated badge engineering, this was a bit hard to follow. First it was the 18-22 series, a replacement for the old land crab. This range consisted of the Austin, Morris and Wolseley 1800-2200 cars, each with a different grille and headlight setup, with the luxurious Wolseley at the top of the tree. However, this idea didn't last, as the whole range was renamed 'Princess' within about six months, effectively creating a brand within a brand, solely for this car. Anyway, like the Allegro, this one should probably have been a hatchback, but BL didn't want to pinch sales from the Maxi so they went with a traditional boot, refusing to add a tailgate until the launch of the Austin Ambassador. Look, I didn't say this was going to be interesting, I just said it was confusing.

Should I do this bit in the third person? Roy McCarthy is a graphic designer and illustrator from Liverpool, UK. After a brief period very early in life, when his old man had an Escort GT, he spent a large part of his childhood trapped in the back of a succession of Austin Allegros, Triumph Acclaims and Rover 200s, inhaling second-hand smoke and listening to country and western music. These were character-building times. He is also the author of 'A is for Allegro: an alphabet of curious cars' published by Pavilion. Click the link below for more info about the book.